Harrison Bergeron Dystopia

Words: 1273
Pages: 6
Open Document
Utopia is an ideal world that refers to perfection in every aspect of humanity; mankind has strived for it through history. There will always be some leaders who promise to build a utopia with supporters who give them power to realize that dream. However, this always ends with the consequence that people in authority abuse their power and misunderstand the meaning of ‘equality’. This misunderstanding results in dystopia, the opposite of what they had tried to achieve. As the saying from a Chinese article The Interpretation of Utopia’s Dilemma states: “Subjectively, human beings’ pursuit of dreams aims at freedom and liberation, but objectively it may possibly bring unimaginable crisis to the world and other people.” The world seems to be …show more content…
Unfortunately, they become individualists because they appear to be abnormal towards the brain-washed group. They are caught by the police as dangerous criminals. So, in order to defend themselves, they may try to overcome the overwhelming control of the government. Harrison represents this spark of defiance and individuality that still exists in some citizens. He has none of the cowardice and passivity that characterize nearly everyone else in the story. Rather, he is an exaggerated alpha male, a talented, brave, breathtakingly strong man who hungers for power. When he breaks into the TV studio and announces that “I am the Emperor! Everybody must do what I say at once!... I am a greater ruler than any man who ever lived!” (4), he sounds insane to the other citizens’ears. At the same time, however, his strong strength and beauty revealed after ripping off his fetters remind some viewers that underneath their own handicaps, they are still talented as well. He acts heroically and releases the handicapped people for a second. But in the end, Harrison, the symbol of defiance, is killed by Diana Moon Glampers, the representation of government power. The quick death of Harrison suggests that in such a cruel, extremely equitable society, the strugging of the talented individualists can only result in tragedy. Even though they may have gained temporary victory, it is their destiny to die for the sake of society because the rational citizens are so rare that they lack support. Besides, to achieve the goal of total equality, the cruel treatment towards these high-talented individualists is neccessary to drag their level down. Therefore, the world is hopeless scary, and stressful for these rational individuals due to their clear understanding of what they are experiencing; it can be nothing but
Show More

Related Documents: Harrison Bergeron Dystopia

Examples Of Dystopia In Harrison Bergeron

worlds is portrayed in “Harrison Bergeron.” The topic of utopian societies is very common among modern motion pictures. This topic is so often utilized because many believe total equality is the future to our society. The topic paints the picture of our general beliefs as a society, virtually all of our society believes equality should be the norm for our country. There are many renowned books and movies that use this topic like The Hunger Games and Divergent. “Harrison Bergeron” proves this will never…

Words 342 - Pages 2

Why Is Harrison Bergeron A Dystopia

stories truly end up utopian. The short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut is among these stories, and presents the idea of handicapping the strong to try to benefit the weak. Would the inverse scenario be acceptable? No, for the following reasons. Biotechnological and genetic enhancements are simply humans playing god, with humans never being meant to be exactly the same, without disparity society would most likely decay and turn into a dystopia due to the absence of motivation and drive to…

Words 537 - Pages 3

Comparing Dystopia In Anthem And Harrison Bergeron

Dangers of Dystopia Dystopian society novels are meant to get the brain thinking about how bad some ideas can turn. In the article “Harrison Bergeron” (HB) he is the strongest, smartest, and the most handsome man to ever live, Sadly Harrison was locked away at age fourteen because of it. Equality 7-2521 from the novella Anthem is also strong, intelligent, and handsome, like Harrison, Equality 7-2521 is ostracized because he is different. Each society has a different family life, in “HB” the townspeople…

Words 527 - Pages 3

Dystopian Societies Harrison Bergeron And Ayn Rand's Anthem

Big Differences between Two Dystopian Societies A Dystopia is a place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad. The short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut is about a time in the future where the government makes everyone “equal” by using handicaps for their individual strength and intelligence. In “Harrison Bergeron” but Vonnegut and Ayn Rand’s Anthem both are different in their relationships. In “Harrison Bergeron” there are families and relationships in society. “And it was…

Words 318 - Pages 2

Harrison Bergeron Symbolism

Why do numerous authors write dystopias? Why do they want us to crack the code on their hidden messages? Symbolism is when an object, person, or setting represents something else. Allusion is a reference to a well known story, work of art, historical figure/ event, or movie. An allusion is similar to a symbol. Each author in Harrison Bergeron, 2BR02B, and The Lottery uses symbolism in a countless number of ways. Kurt Vonnegut, the author of Harrison Bergeron, gives us some examples of symbolism.…

Words 654 - Pages 3

Compare And Contrast Anthem And Harrison Bergeron

Why is it a dystopia? In the book Anthem and the short story Harrison Bergeron they are both a dystopia. Some of the things that will be talked about in this paper is: why this is a dystopia, the causes and the nevertheless the effects of a dystopia. In the next paragraph, it will tell some examples from the two stories on how they are dystopias. How are the two stories a dystopia? Well in the Harrison Bergeron story it said that all of the tall, smart people had to wear a handicap to make the…

Words 267 - Pages 2

Fahrenheit 451 Vs Harrison Bergeron Essay

for Freedom A dystopia is a futuristic society or community that is undesirable or frightening. Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 are two hopeless societies that both are based on having equal people, while the big difference is that “Harrison Bergeron” disables many things to equalize the people while Ray Bradbury burns books without forcing handicaps onto the people, which makes “Harrison Bergeron” a more hopeless environment. “Harrison Bergeron” is a story that…

Words 630 - Pages 3

Harrison Bergeron And Fahrenheit 451 Comparison Essay

A dystopian society that we have read in our stories and our society from our life potray many differences. Among these differences there are similarities that we can connect with these dystopias. These dystopias include Fahrenheit 451 and Harrison Bergeron. In Harrison Bergeron the society is different from ours because by law they are required to be the same. The society are alike though because our society doe focus on fitting in and being like everyone else, although it's not required. The correlation…

Words 755 - Pages 4

Compare And Contrast By The Waters Of Babylon And Harrison Bergeron

Dystopia; a word meaning a community or society that is undesirable or frightening, a meaning normally taken to the extreme. When one envisions a dystopian society, one thinks of a desolate land, void of all things human, and that is precisely what three stories; By the Waters of Babylon, There Will Come Soft Rains, and Harrison Bergeron, told. Each story showcases technology or man going too far, and what results afterwards, although most is left for the reader's’ interpretation. In all stories…

Words 861 - Pages 4

Harrison Bergeron Research Paper

Prompt: How is “Harrison Bergeron,” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., a dystopian genre? Harrison Bergeron is a dystopian genre because in the story the society is viewed as perfect. So people might assume it to be perfect, but once citizens' freedom, rights, and individuality are taken away, they become part of a dystopia no matter how "perfect" it seems. The citizens are under constant surveillance, the citizens have limited information, their independence is few, and their freedom is restricted and controlled…

Words 308 - Pages 2